Thursday, December 16, 2010

In the past few months, the underground supper club scene has become increasingly popular here in Los Angeles, though this is not a new concept. Prior to my dinner at the Wolves' Den, I was actually familiar with Chef Craig Thornton's cooking (aka Wolvesmouth) as I had another private dinner cooked by him and it was fantastic. Since I was on a Panda hibernation at that time and didn't take any pictures, please read up on that dinner via djjewelz. Let's continue, shall we?

Pre-Dinner Activies

We were all gathered there that particular night for a Birthday celebration for our friends Matt and Remil, the famous Pinoy Panda. Knowing Craig, he'll have something special planned and I was eagerly awaiting this dinner for over a week.

Menu for 11/20/10

Now, if you want your menu printed and signed, this might not be the place for you. If you want to be surprised, don't even bother looking at the fridge and just enjoy what's coming. And. Here. We. Go!

1. celery root soup clams apple

I really enjoyed Craig's take on Clam Chowder. Having the cold apple in the soup was an ingenious idea. It cut down on saltiness of the clams while adding a nice crispy texture to the soup. A fantastic start to the meal!

2. scallop Korean chili pineapple persimmon basil

Here, we have a nicely seared scallop on top of a spicy pineapple and persimmon "salsa." While normally I'm not a fan of persimmon, I enjoyed the sweet and spicy balance to match with the scallops.

3. trout brown butter lemon chive

One of my favorite dishes of the night, the trout. First of all, I'm glad Craig left the skin on the fish, it adds a nice flavor to the dish. The richness of the brown butter was nicely balance by the acidity of the lemon. The fish was nice and tender, just the way it's meant to be savored.

4. sweetbread squid black sesame Asian pear

Ah sweetbread, one of my favorite things to eat! Though I would have probably preferred my sweetbread cook in a more crisp fashion, I loved the bold flavors of the black sesame and the sweetness from the asian pear. All in all, an enjoyable dish.

5. beet bone marrow creme fraiche dill

I'm no lover of beets, in fact, it's one of the things I dread eating most of the time. Though at the last dinner, Craig was able to combine bleu cheese and beet (2 things I absolutely despise),and make it quite tasty. This time around, the flavors of the creme fraiche and dill were able to mask the flavors of the beets and made it quite palatable. However, I was not able to detect the bone marrow in the creme fraiche. I was hoping for more of a fatty essence from the bone marrow.

6. lobster pimento cheese crouton chive tomato

Pimento cheese and lobster? I would have never thought of this particular combination. The savory, spicy pimento cheese actually meshed fairly well with the sweetness of the lobster. As a matter of fact, I quite enjoyed this particular dish.

7. rabbit saddle bacon mustard German butterball potatoes cabbage

As I may have mentioned in a previous post (Sorry, I'm too lazy to look for it. I think it was Toque in Montreal), I love eating "Thumper." Yes, I'm referencing Bambi. Rabbit, "thumper," or whatever nickname I decide to give it, rabbit is good! Rabbit saddle with bacon is even better. Thanks for putting this on the menu Craig!

What's better than one rabbit dish? Two rabbit dishes of course. Craig went with a pot pie, and unlike the usual chicken or turkey, we have a rabbit pot pie. It's simple, homey, and good.

10. squab pickled berries sauerkraut pretzel sauce skin

Squab, another one of my favorites. Actually, I like most meat, especially ones not often served like the aforementioned squab. The squab, cooked though the sous vide method was cooked extremely tender and juicy. The accompanied pickled berries and sauerkraut gave this dish a nice tart flavor.

The final savory course, the lamb. The lamb itself was also cooked via the sous vide method, and came out to a perfect medium rare. Though some might not appreciate the gamey flavors of the lamb, I find it quite delicious. The lamb belly was a nice fatty contrast to the lamb itself. The fig puree and mint definitely added an important element to the dish.

13. squash fritter maple shortbread toasted marshmallow panna cotta

I slightly dreaded this course. I don't like fried dough. I don't like doughnuts nor do I care for churros. The only doughnut I like are the doughnuts from Donut Plant in NYC. In this case, squash fritter is served onto of a toasted marshmallow panna cotta. While the panna cotta melted into a liquid base, it did mesh well nicely with the fried squash fritter. In fact, it was quite delicious. For me, I needed that toasted marshmallow base.

14. butter croissant ice cream nutella cake nitrous powder

Finally, we closed out our meal with a nutella cake with a butter croissant ice cream. Of the two dessert, this was my favorite one. I have to say from the first dinner to this one, Craig knows how to do ice cream. I enjoyed the rich flavors of the ice cream mixing with the nutella cake. I could have taken down at least another plate of this stuff. Delicious!

Now, do you want to eat here? I know you do. Want more details? If you do, follow dimsumpup on twitter or visit here for more information. What should you expect upon dining at Wolvesmouth? Get ready to have a good time, eating between 10-14 courses in a chill, relaxing environment. Craig and crew will take care of the food, music, service. All you really need to bring are your appetite, a nice bottle of wine, and your wallet. Do you need to dress up like those fine dining establishments in NYC? Definitely not. Just come, have a good time, and mingle with the fellow diners. One note, just don't be a dick. Assholes can stay outside!

Final Rating 9 out of 10

Wolvesmouth Underground DiningLocated in the Greater Los Angeles AreaContact @dimsumpup and join the mailing list for more information

He just served a half-passion fruit, on its own, accompanied? If so that's awesome. I think it should have warranted a comment of some sort ;) Seems to me to be a nod to Alice Waters and her infamous dessert of just a perfect peach.

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Just an average Joe trying to find the best eats in town and anywhere else he finds himself at.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at: kungfoodpanda88@gmail.com Would love to hear from you!